It's a Team's Life
Last day of 2018
Not a lot of time is spent looking back over the year as is spent on how to make 2019 a better year. What did not go as well as expected in 2018 and what can be improved on for 2019?
Nothing big happened during the year that needs a lot of improvement. Freight rates were great and we balanced that with quality family time and still the year ended well financially.
As the year ends and we are home for an extended period of time our Freightliner is going into the shop for preventive maintenance, overhead run,
During 2018 we spent a lot of time learning about becoming a fleet owner and in the end, we decided this was not a business venture we wanted to pursue. Our 2015 Freightliner Cascadia will be offered for sale in 2019 instead of being the truck that started our fleet. Once we made the decision it was as if 1000 lbs. had been lifted from my shoulders. Clearly, we were not meant to do this.
Looking forward into 2019 the plans are coming together for our new 2019 Cascadia and an ARI Legacy sleeper. This sleeper will be a big change for us as we are getting what I always said we did not need, a shower. Our business has changed and the shower will be a convenience we will rely on often. We will be going with a 19’ box instead of 22’ box that we currently have on our truck. By analyzing our loads, we do not see this hurting our income.
I am also exploring the use of Google Docs and Sheets instead of my standby Office so that I can easily share my spreadsheets between all of my devices. This will be an interesting change for me as I have relied on Office for many years but I like the ability to quickly look at my phone or my iPad and see our fuel mileage, loads, or information pertaining to our business.
It does not look like 2019 will slow down much for us as our involvement with Freightliner Team Run Smart will continue and that will have us attending several truck shows. We enjoy these as this gives us more time to interact with other drivers and to constantly learn and also share the knowledge we have learned through Team Run Smart. Hard to believe this two-year program is now going on its sixth year. There are big changes coming for this program that will be announced in the first quarter of the year.
We have several financial goals we would like to reach this year and will have to plan our family time a little more carefully.
Here is to hoping everyone has a great 2019 and that we get too many of you this year!
Bob & Linda Caffee
TeamCaffee
Saint Louis MO
Expediters since January 2005
Expediting isn't just trucking, it's a lifestyle;
Expediting isn't just a lifestyle, it's an adventure;
Expediting isn't just an adventure, it's a job;
Expediting isn't just a job, it's a business.